Setting Up A Production Kitchen

Adding value to primary produce by becoming a food business.

Growing Your Horticulture Business – Setting Up A Production Kitchen

One of the ways edible growers in Wales can increase the profitability of their business is to add value to the primary produce they grow by making it into a product that they can sell direct to the public, or to retailers.

Transforming Welsh-grown fruit and vegetables into an added value product isn’t without its challenges though, with one of the main issues to overcome actually setting up a production kitchen that is not only fit for purpose, but also meets stringent food safety and environmental health legislation.

This short film outlines the experiences of three Welsh producers – a mushroom grower from Snowdonia, a blueberry farm in Bettisfield, and an aronia berry grower from Chwilog, near Pwllheli – on their own separate journeys towards setting up and successfully running a production kitchen.

A senior local authority Environmental Health Officer is also on hand to offer other growers some simple step-by-step advice to help guide them through the process too.

The video covers key issues such as the point when a grower actually becomes classified as a food business, what food hygiene legislation must be complied with, and how long a grower must have registered as a food business before starting to trade.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published new advice to help food businesses comply with changes to European Union food labelling regulations.

From 13 December 2014, all food businesses in the UK will have to follow new rules in labelling both pre-packed and loose foods. The rules require food businesses to provide information on the presence of 14 allergens if added or used as ingredients in food. Businesses that provide non pre-packed foods, such as restaurants, takeaway businesses, food suppliers, and caterers, are also obliged to comply with the regulations.